Server and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing computer-readable instructions for server

ABSTRACT

A server may receive a target e-mail address from a terminal device; store in the memory the target e-mail address and authentication information in association with each other; send a first e-mail including the target e-mail address, as a destination address, and the authentication information; receive the authentication information from the first communication device; specify the target e-mail address associated with the authentication information in the memory; and execute a predetermined process by using the target e-mail address, the predetermined process being a process which is necessary for the server or the first communication device to send a second e-mail including the target e-mail address, as a destination address, and related information related to the first communication device.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2018-017448, filed on Feb. 2, 2018, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present specification discloses a technique related to a serverconfigured to execute a predetermined process by using an e-mail addressreceived from a terminal device.

BACKGROUND ART

A technique for registering personal information of a product purchaserin a user registration system is known. When purchasing a product, theproduct purchaser presents personal information including an e-mailaddress to a vendor, and the vendor temporarily registers the personalinformation in the user registration system by using a PC. Using thee-mail address in the temporarily registered personal information as adestination, the user registration system sends an e-mail, to a PC ofthe product purchaser, for inquiring whether to register the personalinformation in the user registration system. In a case where a responseis received from the product purchaser indicating that the personalinformation is to be registered in the user registration system, theuser registration system registers the personal information of theproduct purchaser.

SUMMARY

In the aforementioned technique, the vendor must input the e-mailaddress by using the PC in order to register the e-mail address of theproduct purchaser.

The present specification discloses a technique that realizes sending ofan e-mail that includes related information related to a firstcommunication device with a target e-mail address as a destinationaddress without requiring a user to input the target e-mail address tothe first communication device.

A server disclosed herein may comprise: a processor; and a memorystoring computer-readable instructions therein, the computer-readableinstructions, when executed by the processor, causing the server to:receive a target e-mail address from a terminal device; in a case wherethe target e-mail address is received from the terminal device, store inthe memory the target e-mail address and authentication information inassociation with each other; in the case where the target e-mail addressis received from the terminal device, send a first e-mail including thetarget e-mail address, as a destination address, and the authenticationinformation; in a case where an input operation of the authenticationinformation is executed by a user in a first communication devicedifferent from the terminal device after the first e-mail has been sent,receive the authentication information from the first communicationdevice; in a case where the authentication information is received fromthe first communication device, specify the target e-mail addressassociated with the authentication information in the memory; and in acase where the target e-mail address is specified, execute apredetermined process by using the target e-mail address, thepredetermined process being a process which is necessary for the serveror the first communication device to send a second e-mail including thetarget e-mail address, as a destination address, and related informationrelated to the first communication device.

A control method, a computer program and a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing the computer program for implementingthe above server are also novel and useful. Further, a communicationsystem comprising the above server and another device (for example, theterminal device, the first communication device) is also novel anduseful.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a communication system.

FIG. 2 shows a sequence diagram of Case A in which an e-mail forordering a consumable article is sent.

FIG. 3 shows a sequence diagram of a continuation of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a sequence diagram of Case B in which an e-mail includingerror information is sent.

FIG. 5 shows a sequence diagram of Case C in which an e-mail includingscan data is sent.

FIG. 6 shows a sequence diagram of Case D in which an e-mail is sentafter an e-mail address has been registered in an address book.

FIG. 7 shows a sequence diagram of a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows a sequence diagram of a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 shows a sequence diagram of a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows a sequence diagram of a fifth embodiment.

EMBODIMENTS

(Configuration of Communication System 2; FIG. 1)

As shown in FIG. 1, a communication system 2 comprises a server 10, aMulti-Function Peripheral (hereinbelow termed “MFP) 50, a store terminal60, and a user PC (abbreviation of Personal Computer) 70. The devices10, 50, 60, 70 are connected to Internet 4. Consequently, the devices10, 50, 60, 70 are configured to communicate with each other via theInternet 4.

(Configuration of Server 10)

The server 10 is a server located on the Internet 4 by the vendor of theMFP 50, and provides a plurality of types of service related to the MFP50. The server 10 comprises a network interface 16 and a controller 30.Hereinbelow, interface is denoted as “I/F”. The units 16, 30 areconnected to a bus line (reference number omitted). The network I/F 16is connected to the Internet 4.

The controller 30 comprises a CPU 32 and a memory 34. The CPU 32executes various processes in accordance with a program 36 stored in thememory 34. The memory 34 is configured by a volatile memory, anon-volatile memory, or the like. The memory 34 stores the program 36and a service list 38.

In the service list 38, for each of a plurality of types of service,information indicating the content of the service, and an e-mail addressfor receiving provision of the service, are associated with one another.In a case of receiving an e-mail including all the e-mail addresses inthe service list 38 as a destination address, the server 10 executes aprocess for providing the service associated with the e-mail address.Here, any of the e-mail addresses in the service list 38 includes adomain “zzz.com” assigned to the server 10. Consequently, an e-mailincluding an e-mail address that includes the domain “zzz.com” as thedestination address is received by the server 10.

The plurality of types of service will be described. A consumablearticle order service is a service that mediates ordering of aconsumable article to be attached to an MFP (e.g., 50). A help serviceis a service that notifies error information relating to an error thathas occurred in the MFP to a vendor's store. A scan data sending serviceis a service that causes the MFP to execute scanning and the sending ofscan data. An e-mail address registering service is a service thatregisters an e-mail address in an address book of the MFP.

(Configuration of MFP 50)

The MFP 50 is a peripheral device configured to execute multiplefunctions including a print function and a scan function (e.g., aperipheral device of the user PC 70 or the like). The MFP 50 has a modelname “mmm” and a device ID “xxx”. The device ID is information foridentifying the MFP, e.g., a serial number of the MFP 50.

(Configuration of Store Terminal 60)

The store terminal 60 is a terminal used by a salesperson belonging to astore selling the MFP. The store terminal 60 is a portable terminaldevice such as a mobile telephone (e.g., smartphone), PDA, notebook PC,tablet PC. Moreover, in a variant, a PC 10 may be a stationary terminaldevice such as a PC. An e-mail address MA1 is assigned to thesalesperson using the store terminal 60, and the e-mail address MA1 isset as the e-mail address of the store terminal 60 in a mailer (notshown) of the store terminal 60.

(Configuration of User PC 70)

The user PC 70 is a portable or stationary PC. The user PC 70 is used bythe user of the MFP 50. An e-mail address MA2 is assigned to the user ofthe user PC 70, and the e-mail address MA2 is set as the e-mail addressof the user PC 70 in a mailer (not shown) of the user PC 70.

(Specific Cases; FIG. 2 to FIG. 6)

Next, specific cases realized by the devices 10, 50, 60, 70 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 6. Hereinbelow, to facilitateunderstanding, operations executed by CPUs of the devices 10, 50, 60, 70(e.g., the CPU 32 of the server 10) are not expressed with the CPU asthe subject, but with the device (e.g., the server 10) as the subject.Further, communication executed between the devices 10, 50, 60, 70 isexecuted via the Internet 4. Consequently, hereinbelow, “via theInternet 4” is omitted. Further, the server 10 executes communicationwith the devices 50, 60, 70 via the network I/F 16. Consequently,hereinbelow, “via the network I/F 16” is omitted.

(Case A; FIG. 2 and FIG. 3)

First, Case A, in which an e-mail for ordering a consumable article issent, will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. In Case A,a situation is assumed in which the salesperson using the store terminal60 realizes provision of the consumable article order service for theMFP 50 when the MFP 50 is installed in an office or the like of thepurchaser of the MFP 50 (i.e., the user of the MFP 50).

In T3, the store terminal 60 accepts, from the salesperson, an e-mailsending operation for sending an e-mail. The e-mail sending operationincludes designation of a destination e-mail address “order@zzz.com”,and input of customer information into a body. The e-mail address“order@zzz.com” is an e-mail address associated with informationindicating the “consumable article order service” in the service list 38of the server 10 (see FIG. 1). The customer information includes e.g.,name of the purchaser of the MFP 50 and address of the place ofinstallation of the MFP 50. In this case, in T5, the store terminal 60sends an e-mail. The e-mail includes the e-mail address “order@zzz.com”designated by the salesperson as the destination address, includes thee-mail address MA1 set in the store terminal 60 as the sender address,and includes a body in which the customer information inputted by thesalesperson is written.

In response to receiving the e-mail from the store terminal 60 in T5,the server 10 acquires the destination e-mail address “order@zzz.com”from the received e-mail, and specifies the service content “consumablearticle order service” associated with the acquired e-mail address“order@zzz.com” in the service list 38. Next, in T7 the server 10creates authentication information “123” having a unique characterstring and, in T9 stores, in the memory 34, service information in whichthe specified service content “consumable article order service”, thesender e-mail address MA1 in the received e-mail, the createdauthentication information “123”, and the customer information in thebody of the received e-mail are associated with one another. Next, inT10, the server 10 sends an e-mail. The e-mail includes the e-mailaddress MA1 stored in T9 as the destination address, and a body in whichthe authentication information “123” stored in T9 is written.

Upon receiving the e-mail from the server 10 in T10, the store terminal60 displays the authentication information “123” written in the body ofthe e-mail. Thereby, the salesperson can learn the authenticationinformation “123”.

The MFP 50 is set up in an office, for example by the salesperson.Thereafter, in response to a turn-on operation being executed on the MFP50 by the salesperson in T20, in T22 the MFP 50 displays a standbyscreen. The standby screen is a screen displayed in a case where the MFP50 is not executing a process such as a print process (a so-called homescreen), and includes a print button, a scan button, and an applicationbutton. The print button and the scan button are buttons for causing theMFP 50 to execute a print function and a scan function, respectively.The application button is a button for causing the MFP 50 to execute afunction different from the normal print function and scan function.

In response to the application button being selected by the salespersonin T30, in T32 the MFP 50 sends an application selecting screen requestto the server 10 for requesting an application selecting screen to theserver 10.

In response to receiving the application selecting screen request fromthe MFP 50 in T32, in T34 the server 10 sends application selectingscreen data representing the application selecting screen, to the MFP50.

In response to receiving the application selecting screen data from theserver 10 in T34, in T36 the MFP 50 displays the application selectingscreen represented by the application selecting screen data. Theapplication selecting screen includes, e.g., an enlarged copy button forexecuting an enlarged copy, a print predetermined content button forprinting a content in, e.g., a predetermined server, and an inputauthentication information button for inputting authenticationinformation.

In response to the input authentication information button beingselected in T40, in T42 the MFP 50 sends, to the server 10, anauthentication information input screen request for requesting anauthentication information input screen for inputting the authenticationinformation.

In response to receiving the authentication information input screenrequest from the MFP 50 in T42, in T44 the server 10 sends, to the MFP50, authentication information input screen data representing theauthentication information input screen.

In response to receiving the authentication information input screendata from the server 10 in T44, in T46 the MFP 50 displays theauthentication information input screen represented by theauthentication information input screen data. Then, in response toaccepting input of the authentication information “123” from thesalesperson in T50, in T52 the MFP 50 sends the authenticationinformation “123” and the device ID “xxx” of the MFP 50 to the server10.

In a case of receiving the authentication information “123” and thedevice ID “xxx” from the MFP 50 in T52, the server 10 determines whetherthe authentication information “123” has been stored in the memory 34.In a case of determining that the authentication information “123” hasbeen stored, i.e., in the case authentication succeeds, in T53 theserver 10 stores the device ID “xxx” in the service information thatincludes the authentication information “123”, specifies the e-mailaddress MA1 associated with the authentication information “123” in thememory 34 (see T9) and, in T54, sends an order button creationinstruction including the specified e-mail address MA1 to the MFP 50.The order button creation instruction is an instruction for causing theMFP 50 to execute creation of an order button in the standby screen.

In response to receiving the order button creation instruction from theserver 10 in T54, in T56 the MFP 50 stores the e-mail address MA1 in theorder button creation instruction and, in T58, creates the order buttonin the standby screen. The order button is a button for the user of theMFP 50 to order a consumable article. In a case where the remainingamount of the consumable article attached to the MFP 50 becomes small,the user of the MFP 50 can receive provision of the consumable articleorder service by selecting the order button in the standby screen.

(Continuation of FIG. 2; FIG. 3)

Next, processing that is a continuation of FIG. 2 will be described withreference to FIG. 3. In a case where the order button in the standbyscreen is selected by the user in T100, in T102 the MFP 50 sends a modelnumber list request to the server 10. The model number list requestincludes a model name “mmm” of the MFP 50, and the stored e-mail addressMA1 (see T56 of FIG. 2).

In response to receiving the model number list request from the MFP 50in T102, the server 10 specifies the service content “consumable articleorder service” associated with the e-mail address MA1 in the receivedmodel number list request, and executes a process for providing theconsumable article order service. Although not shown, for each of aplurality of models of MFP, the memory 34 of the server 10 stores modelnumbers of a plurality of types of consumable article that can beattached to that model of MFP. In T104 the server 10 specifies, from thememory 34, the model number of the plurality of types of consumablearticle that can be attached to the MFP having the model name “mmm” inthe model number list request, and sends, to the MFP 50, model numberlist data representing a model number list showing the model numbers ofthe plurality of types of consumable article that have been specified.

In response to receiving the model number list data from the server 10in T104, in T106 the MFP 50 displays the model number list representedby the model number list data. Next, in response to a model number“0001” in the model number list being selected by the user in T110, inT112 the MFP 50 sends an order request to the server 10 requesting theordering of the consumable article having the selected model number“0001”. The order request includes consumable article information, themodel name “mmm”, the e-mail address MA1, and the device ID “xxx”. Theconsumable article information includes the selected model number“0001”, and remaining amount information showing the remaining amount ofthe consumable article currently attached to the MFP 50.

In a case of receiving the order request from the MFP 50 in T112, theserver 10 executes a process for ordering the consumable article byusing the e-mail address MA1 in the order request. Specifically, theserver 10 specifies the customer information in the service informationincluding the received device ID “xxx” from the memory 34 (see T9 ofFIG. 2) and, in T114, sends an e-mail. The e-mail includes the receivede-mail address MA1 as the destination address, and includes a body inwhich the specified customer information and the received consumablearticle information are written. Moreover, as a variant, the device ID“xxx” may be written in the body in addition to the customer informationand the consumable article information, or the device ID “xxx” may bewritten in the body instead of the customer information. Further, e.g.,the device ID “xxx” may be written in the body in a case where thecustomer information is not included in the service information storedin T9 of FIG. 2.

In response to receiving the e-mail from the server 10 in T114, in T120the store terminal 60 displays the received e-mail. As a result, thesalesperson can learn the customer information and the consumablearticle information written in the body of the e-mail. The salespersoncan send the consumable article having the model number “0001” indicatedby the consumable article information to the address indicated by thecustomer information. When the process of T120 ends, Case A ends.

(Case B; FIG. 4)

Next, Case B, in which an e-mail including error information of the MFP50 is sent, will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In Case B, asituation is assumed in which the salesperson using the store terminal60 realizes provision of the help service for the MFP 50 when installingthe MFP 50 in an office or the like of the purchaser of the MFP 50(i.e., the user of the MFP 50).

T203 and T205 are similar to T3 and T5 of FIG. 2 except that adestination e-mail address “help@zzz.com” is designated by thesalesperson. The e-mail address “help@zzz.com” is an e-mail addressassociated with information indicating “help service” in the servicelist 38 of the server 10 (see FIG. 1).

In response to receiving an e-mail from the store terminal 60 in T205,the server 10 acquires the destination e-mail address “help@zzz.com”from the received e-mail, and specifies the service content “helpservice” associated with the acquired e-mail address “help@zzz.com” inthe service list 38. Next, in T207 the server 10 creates authenticationinformation “234”. T209 and T210 are similar to T9 and T10 of FIG. 2except that the service content “help service” and the authenticationinformation “234” are used.

T220 to T246 are similar to T20 to T46 of FIG. 2. In response toaccepting input of the authentication information “234” from thesalesperson in T250, in T252 the MFP 50 sends the authenticationinformation “234” and the device ID “xxx” of the MFP 50 to the server10.

In response to receiving the authentication information “234” and thedevice ID “xxx” from the MFP 50 in T252, the server 10 executesauthentication of the authentication information “234” and, in the caseauthentication succeeds, in T253 stores the device ID “xxx” in theservice information including the authentication information “234”,specifies the e-mail address MA1 associated with the authenticationinformation “234” in the memory 34 and, in T254, sends a help buttoncreation instruction including the specified e-mail address MA1, to theMFP 50. The help button creation instruction is an instruction forcausing the MFP 50 to execute the creation of a help button in thestandby screen.

In response to receiving the help button creation instruction from theserver 10 in T254, in T256 the MFP 50 stores the e-mail address MA1 thatis in the help button creation instruction and, in T258 creates the helpbutton in the standby screen. The help button is a button for the userof the MFP 50 to notify the store of an error that has occurred the MFP50. In a case where an error, such as a paper jam, has occurred in theMFP 50, the user of the MFP 50 can receive the provision of the helpservice by selecting the help button in the standby screen.

In a case where the help button in the standby screen is selected by theuser of the MFP 50 in T300, in T312 the MFP 50 sends error informationrelating to the error that has occurred in the MFP 50, the stored e-mailaddress MA1, and the device ID “xxx” to the server 10.

In a case of receiving the error information, the e-mail address MA1,and the device ID “xxx” from the MFP 50 in T312, the server 10 executesa process to notify the store of the error information by using thereceived e-mail address MA1. Specifically, the server 10 specifies thecustomer information in the service information that includes thereceived device ID “xxx” from the memory 34 (see T209), and sends ane-mail in T314. The e-mail includes the received e-mail address MA1 asthe destination address, and includes a body in which the specifiedcustomer information and the received error information are written.

In response to receiving the e-mail from the server 10 in T314, in T320the store terminal 60 displays the received e-mail. As a result, thesalesperson can learn the customer information and the error informationwritten in the body of the e-mail. Then, the salesperson can visit theaddress indicated by the customer information and, based on the errorinformation, can resolve the error that has occurred in the MFP 50. Whenthe process of T320 ends, Case B ends.

(Case C; FIG. 5)

Next, Case C, in which an e-mail including scan data is sent, will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 5. In Case C, a situation is assumed inwhich a scan data sending service is provided in which the user causesthe MFP 50 to execute a scan, and scan data is sent to the user PC 70.

In T403, the user PC 70 accepts, from the user, an e-mail sendingoperation for sending e-mail. The e-mail sending operation includesdesignation of a destination e-mail address “scan@zzz.com”. The e-mailaddress “scan@zzz.com” is an e-mail address associated with informationindicating the “scan data sending service” in the service list 38 of theserver 10 (see FIG. 1). In this case, the user PC 70 sends an e-mail inT405. The e-mail includes the e-mail address “scan@zzz.com” designatedby the user as the destination address, and includes the e-mail addressMA2 set in the user PC 70 as a sender address.

In response to receiving the e-mail from the user PC 70 in T405, theserver 10 acquires the destination e-mail address “scan@zzz.com” fromthe received e-mail, and specifies the service content “scan datasending service” associated with the acquired e-mail address“scan@zzz.com” in the service list 38. Next, in T407, the server 10creates authentication information “345” and, in T409 stores, in thememory 34, service information in which the specified service content“scan data sending service”, the sender e-mail address MA2 in thereceived e-mail, and the created authentication information “345” areassociated with one another. Moreover, in the present case, a body ofthe e-mail is not stored because the received e-mail does not include abody. T410 is similar to T10 of FIG. 2, except that the authenticationinformation “345” and the e-mail address MA2 are used.

T420 to T446 are similar to T20 to T46 of FIG. 2. In response toaccepting input of the authentication information “345” from the user inT450, in T452 the MFP 50 sends the authentication information “345” tothe server 10.

In response to receiving the authentication information “345” from theMFP 50 in T452, the server 10 executes authentication of theauthentication information “345” and, in the case authenticationsucceeds, specifies the e-mail address MA2 associated with theauthentication information “345” in the memory 34 and, in T454, sends ascan data sending instruction including the specified e-mail address MA2to the MFP 50. The scan data sending instruction is an instruction forcausing the MFP 50 to execute a scan and to execute sending of scandata.

In response to receiving the scan data sending instruction from theserver 10 in T454, in T456 the MFP 50 executes a scan of a document andcreates scan data and, in T458, sends an e-mail. The e-mail includes thee-mail address MA2 in the received scan data sending instruction as thedestination address, and includes the created scan data as an attachedfile.

In T458, the user PC 70 receives the e-mail from the MFP 50. As aresult, the user can use (e.g., display, process) the scan data in theuser PC 70. When the process of T458 ends, Case C ends.

(Case D; FIG. 6)

Next, Case D, in which an e-mail is sent after the e-mail address MA2has been registered in the address book of the MFP 50, will be describedwith reference to FIG. 6. In Case D, a situation is assumed in which theuser is provided with the e-mail address registering service forregistering the e-mail address MA2 in the address book of the MFP 50.

T503 and T505 are similar to T403 and T405 of FIG. 5 except that adestination e-mail address “register@zzz.com” is designated by the user.The e-mail address “register@zzz.com” is an e-mail address associatedwith information indicating the “e-mail address registering service” inthe service list 38 of the server 10 (see FIG. 1).

In a case of receiving an e-mail from the user PC 70 in T505, the server10 acquires the destination e-mail address “register@zzz.com” from thereceived e-mail, specifies the service content “e-mail addressregistering service” associated with the acquired e-mail address“register@zzz.com” in the service list 38 and, in T507 createsauthentication information “456”. T509 and T510 are similar to T409 andT410 of FIG. 5 except that the service content “e-mail addressregistering service” and the authentication information “456” are used.

T520 to T546 are similar to T20 to T46 of FIG. 2. In response toaccepting input of the authentication information “456” from the user inT550, in T552 the MFP 50 sends the authentication information “456” tothe server 10.

In response to receiving the authentication information “456” from theMFP 50 in T552, the server 10 executes authentication of theauthentication information “456” and, in the case authenticationsucceeds, specifies the e-mail address MA2 associated with theauthentication information “456” in the memory 34 and, in T554, sends aregistration instruction including the specified e-mail address MA2 tothe MFP 50. The registration instruction is an instruction for causingthe MFP 50 to execute registration of the e-mail address MA2 in theaddress book.

In response to receiving the registration instruction from the server 10in T554, in T556 the MFP 50 registers, in the address book, the e-mailaddress MA2 in the registration instruction. Thereby, in T560, the MFP50 can accept a scan data sending operation from the user that includesselection of the e-mail address MA2 in the address book. In this case,in T562 the MFP 50 executes a scan of a document, creates scan data and,in T564, sends an e-mail. The e-mail includes the selected e-mailaddress MA2 as the destination address, and includes the created scandata as the attached file. Thereby, the e-mail is executed by the userPC 70, and the user can use the scan data. When the process of T564ends, Case B ends.

Effect of Present Embodiment

In the present embodiment, in the case of receiving the e-mail addressMA1 (or the e-mail address MA2) from the store terminal 60 (or the userPC 70) (T3 of FIG. 2, T203 of FIG. 4, T403 of FIG. 5, T503 of FIG. 6),the server 10 stores the e-mail address MA1 (or MA2) and theauthentication information (“123”, etc.) in association with each other,and sends the e-mail including the authentication information (T5, T205,T405, T505). Thereafter, the input operation of the authenticationinformation is executed by the salesperson (or user) in the MFP 50 and,in the case where the authentication information is received from theMFP 50 (T52, T252, T452, T552), the server 10 uses the e-mail addressMA1 (or MA2) associated with the received authentication information toexecute a predetermined process. Here, the predetermined process is aprocess needed for the server 10 or the MFP 50 to send the e-mailincluding the related information related to the MFP 50 with the e-mailaddress MA1 (or MA2) as the destination address. The predeterminedprocess is as follows.

For example, in Case A of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the server 10 executes theprocess for sending the e-mail including the e-mail address MA1 as thedestination address, and including the body in which the consumablearticle information is written (T54 to T114). Further, in Case B of FIG.4, the server 10 executes the process for sending the e-mail includingthe e-mail address MA1 as the destination address, and including thebody in which the error information is written (T254 to T314). Further,in Case C of FIG. 5, the server 10 executes the process for sending thee-mail including the e-mail address MA2 as the destination address, andincluding the scan data as the attached file (T454 to T458). Further, inCase D of FIG. 6, the server 10 registers the e-mail address MA2 in theaddress book of the MFP 50 in order to cause the MFP 50 to send thee-mail including the e-mail address MA2 as the destination address, andincluding the scan data as the attached file (T554). Consequently,without inputting the e-mail address MA1 (or MA2) to the MFP 50, theuser can realize sending of the e-mail including the e-mail address MA1(or MA2) as the destination address, and including related informationrelated to the MFP 50 (e.g., consumable article information, errorinformation, scan data).

(Correspondence Relationship)

The store terminal 60 and the user PC 70 are examples of “terminaldevice”. The MFP 50 is an example of “first communication device”. Thee-mail address MA1 (or MA2) is an example of “target e-mail address”.The e-mail sent in T10 of FIG. 2 (or T210 of FIG. 4, T410 of FIG. 5,T510 of FIG. 6), the e-mail sent in T114 of FIG. 3 (or T314, T458,T564), the e-mail sent in T5 (or T205, T405, T505) is an example of“first e-mail”, “second e-mail”, “third e-mail”, respectively. Theconsumable article sending service, the help service, the scan datasending service, and the e-mail address registering service provided bythe server 10 are examples of “predetermined process”. The informationindicating service content, and the corresponding e-mail address in theservice list 38 is an example of “process identification information”and “predetermined process corresponding to e-mail address”,respectively. The customer information is an example of “specificinformation”. The consumable article information, the error information,and the scan data are examples of “related information”.

The process of T5 (or T205, T405, T505), the process of T9 (or T209,T409, T509), the process of T10 (or T210, T410, T510), the process ofT52 (or T252, T452, T552) are examples of processes executed by “receivea target e-mail address from a terminal device”, “store in the memorythe target e-mail address and authentication information in associationwith each other”, “send a first e-mail”, “receive the authenticationinformation from the first communication device”, respectively. Theprocesses of T54 to T114 (or T254 to T314, T454, T554) are examples ofprocesses executed by “specify the target e-mail address” and “execute apredetermined process”, respectively.

Second Embodiment; FIG. 7

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7.The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that, inthe same situation as Case A of the first embodiment, the order buttonis created in the application selecting screen.

First, processes similar to T3 to T10 of FIG. 2 are executed. T620 toT650 are similar to T20 to T50 of FIG. 2 except that the device ID “xxx”of the MFP 50 is included in the application selecting screen request.In response to receiving the authentication information “123” and thedevice ID “xxx” from the MFP 50 in T652, the server 10 executesauthentication of the authentication information “123” and, in the caseauthentication succeeds, in T653 stores the device ID “xxx” in theservice information that includes the authentication information “123”,specifies the e-mail address MA1 associated with the authenticationinformation “123” in the memory 34 and, in T654, updates the applicationselecting screen data. Specifically, an order button in which the deviceID “xxx” and the specified e-mail address MA1 are associated with oneanother is created in the application selecting screen. In T656, theserver 10 sends a completion notification to the MFP 50 indicating thatthe order button has been created in the application selecting screen.

In response to receiving the completion notification from the server 10in T656, in T658 the MFP 50 displays the standby screen. In the casewhere the remaining amount of the consumable article attached to the MFP50 has become small, in response to the application button in thestandby screen being selected by the user in T660, in T662 the MFP 50sends the application selecting screen request including the device ID“xxx” to the server 10.

In response to receiving the application selecting screen request fromthe MFP 50 in T662, in T664 the server 10 sends, to the MFP 50, theapplication selecting screen data representing the application selectingscreen including the order button associated with the device ID “xxx” inthe received application selecting screen request. The e-mail addressMA1 is associated with the order button. That is, the applicationselecting screen data includes the e-mail address MA1.

In response to receiving the application selecting screen data from theserver 10 in T664, in T666 the MFP 50 displays the application selectingscreen represented by the application selecting screen data. As aresult, in response to the user selecting the order button in theapplication selecting screen in T670, processes similar to T102 to T120of FIG. 3 are executed.

Effect of Present Embodiment

In the present embodiment as well, sending of an e-mail including thee-mail address MA1 as the destination address, and including relatedinformation related to the MFP 50 (i.e., consumable articleinformation), can be realized without the user inputting the e-mailaddress MA1 to the MFP 50.

Third Embodiment; FIG. 8

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. Thethird embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that, in thesame situation as Case A of the first embodiment, the order buttoncreation instruction (see T54 of FIG. 2) does not include the e-mailaddress MA1.

T3 to T46 of FIG. 8 are similar to T3 to T46 of FIG. 2. In response toaccepting input of the authentication information “123” from thesalesperson in T750, the MFP 50 sends the authentication information“123” and the device ID “xxx” of the MFP 50 to the server 10.

In response to receiving the authentication information “123” and thedevice ID “xxx” from the MFP 50 in T752, the server 10 specifies serviceinformation including the received authentication information “123” fromthe memory 34, stores the device ID “xxx” in the specified serviceinformation in T753 and, in T754, sends an order button creationinstruction to the MFP 50. The order button creation instruction doesnot include the e-mail address MA1 associated with the receivedauthentication information “123”.

T800 to T812 are similar to T100 to T112 of FIG. 3 except that thedevice ID “xxx” is used instead of the e-mail address MA1. In responseto receiving the order request from the MFP 50 in T812, the server 10specifies the e-mail address MA1 and the customer information associatedwith the device ID “xxx” in the order request from the memory 34 and, inT814, sends an e-mail. The e-mail includes the specified e-mail addressMA1 as the destination address, and includes a body in which thespecified customer information and the received consumable articleinformation are written. T820 is similar to T120. When T820 ends, theprocess of FIG. 8 ends.

Effect of Present Embodiment

In the present embodiment as well, the sending of the e-mail includingthe e-mail address MA1 as the destination address, and including therelated information related to the MFP 50 (i.e., consumable articleinformation), can be realized without the user inputting the e-mailaddress MA1 to the MFP 50. Further, in the present embodiment, since theMFP 50 does not need to store the e-mail address MA1, the storage amountof the memory 34 of the MFP 50 can be reduced. In the presentembodiment, the device ID “xxx” is an example of “first deviceidentification information”.

Fourth Embodiment; FIG. 9

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9.The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that thee-mail sent from the store terminal 60 (see T5 of FIG. 2) includes thedevice ID “xxx” of the MFP 50. In the present embodiment as well, thesituation of Case A of the first embodiment is assumed.

In T903, the store terminal 60 accepts the e-mail sending operation fromthe salesperson. The e-mail sending operation includes designation ofthe e-mail address “order@zzz.com” of the destination, designation ofthe device ID “xxx” of the MFP 50, and input of the customer informationto the body. In this case, in T904 the store terminal 60 creates ane-mail address “order_xxx@zzz.com” by using the designated e-mailaddress “order@zzz.com” and the designated device ID “xxx”. Then, inT905 the store terminal 60 sends an e-mail. The e-mail includes thecreated e-mail address “order_xxx@zzz.com” as the destination address,includes the e-mail address MA1 set in the store terminal 60 as thesender address, and includes a body in which the customer informationinputted by the salesperson is written.

In a case of receiving the e-mail from the store terminal 60 in T905,the server 10 acquires the e-mail address “order@zzz.com” and the deviceID “xxx” from the destination e-mail address “order_xxx@zzz.com” in thereceived e-mail, and specifies the service content “consumable articleorder service” associated with the acquired e-mail address“order@zzz.com” in the service list 38. Next, in T907 the server 10creates the authentication information “123” and, in T909, stores theservice information in the memory 34. The service information differsfrom T9 of FIG. 2 in further including the acquired device ID “xxx”.T910 is similar to T10 of FIG. 2.

Thereafter, processes similar to T20 to T46 of FIG. 2 are executedbetween the server 10 and the MFP 50 or a MFP 51. A situation is alsoassumed in which the salesperson should use the appropriate MFP 50 toexecute the processes of T20 to T46 but, in the present embodiment, thesalesperson wrongly uses the MFP 51 to execute the processes of T20 toT46. Moreover, the MFP 51 has a device ID “yyy” different from thedevice ID “xxx” of the MFP 50. In T950, the salesperson inputs theauthentication information “123” to the MFP 50 or the MFP 51.Hereinbelow, the MFP to which the authentication information “123” isinputted by the salesperson is termed a “target MFP”. In T952, thetarget MFP sends the authentication information “123” and the device IDof the target MFP (i.e., “xxx” or “yyy”) to the server 10.

In response to receiving the authentication information “123” and thedevice ID of the target MFP from the target MFP in T952, the server 10executes authentication of the authentication information “123” and, inthe case authentication succeeds, specifies the device ID “xxx”associated with the authentication information “123” in the memory 34.

In S5, the server 10 determines whether the device ID of the target MFPis identical with the specified device ID “xxx”. In the case ofdetermining that the device ID of the target MFP is identical with thespecified device ID “xxx”, i.e., in the case where the target MFP is theMFP 50, the server 10 specifies the e-mail address MA1 associated withthe received authentication information “123” and, in T954, sends theorder button creation instruction that includes the specified e-mailaddress MA1, to the MFP 50. As a result, in response to receiving theorder button creation instruction from the server 10 in T954, in T956the MFP 50 stores the e-mail address MA1 in the order button creationinstruction and, in T958, creates the order button in the standbyscreen. Thereafter, processes similar to T100 to T120 of FIG. 3 areexecuted.

On the other hand, in a case of determining that the device ID of thetarget MFP is not identical to the specified device ID “xxx” (NO in S5),i.e., in the case where the target MFP is the MFP 51, the server 10 doesnot send the order button creation instruction. As a result, since theorder button is not created in the standby screen in the MFP 51, thesalesperson can recognize that there had been a mistake on the MFP towhich the authentication information “123” should have been inputted.

Effect of Present Embodiment

In the present embodiment as well, it is possible to realize the sendingof the e-mail including the e-mail address MA1 as the destinationaddress, and including the related information (i.e., the consumablearticle information) related to the MFP 50, without the user inputtingthe e-mail address MA1 to the MFP 50. Further, in the presentembodiment, the server 10 does not send the order button creationinstruction in the case where the device ID sent from the target MFP isnot identical with the device ID “xxx” that is being stored in thememory 34, i.e., in the case of receiving the authentication information“123” from the MFP 51 which has the device ID different from the deviceID designated in T903. Consequently, it is possible to prevent thewrongful provision of the consumable article sending service for the MFP51 not designated by the salesperson, and to appropriately provide theconsumable article sending service for the MFP 50 designated by thesalesperson. In the present embodiment, the device ID “xxx” in thee-mail of T905 is an example of “second device identificationinformation”.

Fifth Embodiment; FIG. 10

Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10.The fifth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that thee-mail sent from the store terminal 60 (see T5 of FIG. 2) includestarget information having a unique character string. The same situationas in the fourth embodiment is assumed in the fifth embodiment.

In T1000, in response to execution of a predetermined operation by thesalesperson, the MFP 50 sends a target information request, to theserver 10, requesting the server 10 to send target information. Thetarget information request includes the device ID “xxx” of the MFP 50.

In response to receiving the target information request from the MFP 50in T1000, in T1001 the server 10 creates target information “abc” havinga unique character string, and stores the device ID “xxx” in thereceived target information request, and the created target information“abc”, in the memory 34 in association with each other. In T1002, theserver 10 sends the created target information “abc” to the MFP 50. As aresult, since the target information “abc” is displayed in the MFP 50,the salesperson can learn the target information “abc”.

In T1003, the store terminal 60 accepts an e-mail sending operation fromthe salesperson. The e-mail sending operation includes designation ofthe e-mail address “order@zzz.com” of the destination, input of thecustomer information to the body, and designation of the targetinformation “abc”. In this case, in T1004 the store terminal 60 uses thedesignated e-mail address “order@zzz.com” and the target information“abc” to create an e-mail address “order_abc@zzz.com”. Then, in T1005the store terminal 60 sends an e-mail. The e-mail includes the createde-mail address “order_abc@zzz.com” as the destination address. That is,the e-mail includes the target information “abc”.

In response to receiving the e-mail from the store terminal 60 in T1005,the server 10 acquires the e-mail address “order@zzz.com” and the targetinformation “abc” from the destination e-mail address“order_abc@zzz.com” in the received e-mail, specifies the servicecontent “consumable article order service” associated with the acquirede-mail address “order@zzz.com” in the service list 38, and specifies thedevice ID “xxx” associated with the acquired target information “abc” inthe memory 34. Next, in T1007 the server 10 stores service informationin the memory 34. The service information is similar to the serviceinformation of T909 of FIG. 9. T1010 is similar to T910 of FIG. 9.

Thereafter, as in the fourth embodiment, processes similar to T20 to T46of FIG. 2 are executed by the server 10 and the target MFP (i.e., theMFP 50 or 51). T1050 and T1052 are similar to T950 and 952 of FIG. 9.S10 is similar to S5 of FIG. 9. In a case where the target MFP is theMFP 50 (YES in S10), the server 10 specifies the e-mail address MA1associated with the received authentication information “123” and, inT1054, sends the order button creation instruction that includes thespecified e-mail address MA1 to the MFP 50. T1056 and T1058 are similarto T956 and T958 of FIG. 9. Thereafter, processes similar to T100 toT120 of FIG. 3 are executed.

On the other hand, in a case where the target MFP is the MFP 51 (NO inS10), the server 10 does not send the order button creation instruction.As a result, since the order button is not created in the standby screenin the MFP 51, the salesperson can recognize that there had been amistake on the MFP to which the authentication information “123” shouldhave been inputted. In the present embodiment as well, the same effectas in the fourth embodiment can be obtained.

(Variant 1) In response to the model number “0001” in the model numberlist being selected by the user in T110 of FIG. 3, the MFP 50 may sendan e-mail which includes the e-mail address MA1 stored in T56 of FIG. 2as the destination address, and includes a body in which the consumablearticle information is written. In this case, T112 and T114 are notexecuted. In the present variant, the process of T54 to T104 of FIG. 4is an example of “predetermined process”. Described generally, “seconde-mail” may be sent by the server, or may be sent by the firstcommunication device.

(Variant 2) In T5 of FIG. 2, the server 10 may receive an e-mail from adifferent device than the store terminal 60. In this case, e.g., thesalesperson executes the e-mail sending operation in the differentdevice than the store terminal 60 to send the e-mail including thee-mail address “order@zzz.com” as the destination address, and includingthe body in which the e-mail address MA1 set in the store terminal 60 iswritten. In response to receiving the e-mail from the device, in T9 theserver 10 stores, in the memory 34, the service information whichincludes the e-mail address MA1 in the body of the received e-mail. Inthe present variant, the different device than the store terminal 60 isan example of “terminal device”. Further, in the present variant,“target e-mail address” may not be the e-mail address set in theterminal device, and “predetermined process” may not be a processnecessary for sending the second e-mail to the terminal device.

(Variant 3) The process of T3 and T5 of FIG. 2 may be omitted. In thiscase, the server 10 receives designation information including thee-mail address “order@zzz.com”, the e-mail address MA1, and the customerinformation from the store terminal 60 by using a communicationdifferent from the e-mail communication (e.g., a communication accordingto HTTP). Then, the server 10 sends an e-mail including the e-mailaddress MA1 in the received designation information as the destinationaddress, and including a body in which the authentication information“123” is written. That is, “receive a target e-mail address” may receivethe target e-mail address by a different method than e-mail.

(Variant 4) The processes of T904 of FIG. 9 and T1004 of FIG. 10 may beomitted. In this case, e.g., in response to accepting the e-mail sendingoperation from the salesperson in T903, the store terminal 60 may sendan e-mail including the e-mail address “order@zzz.com” designated by thesalesperson as the destination address, including the e-mail address MA1set in the store terminal 60 as the sender address, and including a bodyin which the customer information inputted by the salesperson and thedevice ID “xxx” designated by the salesperson, are written.

(Variant 5) In the above embodiments, the device ID “xxx” was used asthe information for identifying the MFP 50. However, e.g., a MAC addressof the MFP 50 may be used instead of the device ID “xxx”. That is,“first device identification information” may be any information foridentifying “first communication device”.

(Variant 6) “First communication device” is not restricted to the MFP50, but may be e.g., a printer, a scanner, a smartphone, a PC, or aserver.

(Variant 7) In the above embodiments, the respective processes of FIGS.2 to 10 are implemented by software (that is, the program 36), however,at least one of these processes may be implemented by hardware such as alogic circuit.

What is claimed is:
 1. A server comprising: a processor; and a memorystoring computer-readable instructions therein, the computer-readableinstructions, when executed by the processor, causing the server to:receive a target e-mail address from a terminal device; in a case wherethe target e-mail address is received from the terminal device, store inthe memory the target e-mail address and authentication information inassociation with each other; in the case where the target e-mail addressis received from the terminal device, send a first e-mail including thetarget e-mail address, as a destination address, and the authenticationinformation; in a case where an input operation of the authenticationinformation is executed by a user in a first communication devicedifferent from the terminal device after the first e-mail has been sent,receive the authentication information from the first communicationdevice; in a case where the authentication information is received fromthe first communication device, specify the target e-mail addressassociated with the authentication information in the memory; and in acase where the target e-mail address is specified, execute apredetermined process by using the target e-mail address, thepredetermined process being a process which is necessary for the serveror the first communication device to send a second e-mail including thetarget e-mail address, as a destination address, and related informationrelated to the first communication device.
 2. The server as in claim 1,wherein the target e-mail address is an e-mail address being set in theterminal device, the target e-mail address is received from the terminaldevice by receiving a third e-mail including the target e-mail addressas a sender address, and the predetermined process is a process which isnecessary for the server or the first communication device to send thesecond e-mail to the terminal device.
 3. The server as in claim 2,wherein the memory stores, for each of a plurality of types of thepredetermined process, process identification information correspondingto the type of the predetermined process and an e-mail addresscorresponding to the type of the predetermined process in associationwith each other, the third e-mail includes the target e-mail address asthe sender address and one e-mail address among a plurality of e-mailaddresses corresponding to the plurality of types of the predeterminedprocess in the memory as a destination address, and thecomputer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, furthercause the server to: in a case where the third e-mail is received fromthe terminal device, specify target process identification informationamong a plurality of process identification information corresponding tothe plurality of types of the predetermined process in the memory, thetarget process identification information being process identificationinformation associated with the one e-mail address which is thedestination address included in the third e-mail, wherein the targete-mail address which is the sender address included in the third e-mail,the authentication information, and the target process identificationinformation are stored in the memory in association with each other, andthe computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the server to: in the case where the authenticationinformation is received from the first communication device, specify thetarget process identification information associated with theauthentication information in the memory, wherein in a case where thetarget e-mail address and the target process identification informationare specified, a type of the predetermined process identified by thetarget process identification information among the plurality of typesof the predetermined process is executed by using the target e-mailaddress.
 4. The server as in claim 2, wherein the third e-mail furtherincludes specific information as an e-mail body, in a case where thethird e-mail is received from the terminal device, the target e-mailaddress, the authentication information, and the specific informationare stored in the memory in association with each other, and thepredetermined process is a process which is necessary for the server orthe first communication device to send the second e-mail that includes,as an e-mail body, the specific information associated with the targete-mail address in the memory to the terminal device.
 5. The server as inclaim 1, wherein the related information includes at least one ofinformation related to a consumable article attached to the firstcommunication device and information related to an error occurring inthe first communication device.
 6. The server as in claim 1, wherein inthe case where the input operation of the authentication information isexecuted by the user in the first communication device, theauthentication information and first device identification informationfor identifying the first communication device are received from thefirst communication device, in a case where the authenticationinformation and the first device identification information are receivedfrom the first communication device, the target e-mail addressassociated with the authentication information in the memory isspecified, and the computer-readable instructions, when executed by theprocessor, further cause the server to: in a case where the targete-mail address is specified, store in the memory the target e-mailaddress and the first device identification information in associationwith each other, wherein in a case where the first device identificationinformation is received from the first communication device after thetarget e-mail address and the first device identification informationhave been stored in the memory in association with each other, thepredetermined process is executed by using the target e-mail addressassociated with the first device identification information in thememory.
 7. The server as in claim 1, wherein the target e-mail addressand second device identification information for identifying a secondcommunication device are received from the terminal device, in a casewhere the target e-mail address and the second device identificationinformation are received from the terminal device, the target e-mailaddress, the authentication information and the second deviceidentification information are stored in the memory in association witheach other, in a case where the input operation of the authenticationinformation is executed by the user in the first communication deviceafter the target e-mail address, the authentication information and thesecond device identification information have been stored in the memoryin association with each other, the authentication information and firstdevice identification information for identifying the firstcommunication device are received from the first communication device,and the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the server to: in a case where the authenticationinformation and the first device identification information are receivedfrom the first communication device, determine whether the first deviceidentification information is identical to the second deviceidentification information associated with the authenticationinformation in the memory, wherein in a case where it is determined thatthe first device identification information is identical to the seconddevice identification information, the predetermined process is executedby using the target e-mail address, and in a case where it is determinedthat the first device identification information is not identical to thesecond device identification information, the predetermined process isnot executed.
 8. The server as in claim 1, wherein the computer-readableinstructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the serverto: receive second device identification information for identifying asecond communication device from the second communication device; in acase where the second device identification information is received fromthe second communication device, store in the memory the second deviceidentification information and target information different from thesecond device identification information in association with each other;and in the case where the second device identification information isreceived from the second communication device, send the targetinformation to the second communication device, wherein the targete-mail address and the target information are received from the terminaldevice, in a case where the target e-mail address and the targetinformation are received from the terminal device, the target e-mailaddress, the authentication information, and the second deviceidentification information associated with the target information in thememory is stored in the memory in association with each other, in a casewhere the input operation of the authentication information is executedby the user in the first communication device after the target e-mailaddress, the authentication information, and the second deviceidentification information have been stored in the memory in associationwith each other, the authentication information and first deviceidentification information for identifying the first communicationdevice are received from the first communication device, and thecomputer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, furthercause the server to: in a case where the authentication information andthe first device identification information are received from the firstcommunication device, determine whether the first device identificationinformation is identical to the second device identification informationassociated with the authentication information in the memory, wherein ina case where it is determined that the first device identificationinformation is identical to the second device identificationinformation, the predetermined process is executed by using the targete-mail address, and in a case where it is determined that the firstdevice identification information is not identical to the second deviceidentification information, the predetermined process is not executed.9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storingcomputer-readable instructions for a server, wherein thecomputer-readable instructions, when executed by a processor of theserver, cause the sever to: receive a target e-mail address from aterminal device; in a case where the target e-mail address is receivedfrom the terminal device, store in a memory of the server the targete-mail address and authentication information in association with eachother; in the case where the target e-mail address is received from theterminal device, send a first e-mail including the target e-mailaddress, as a destination address, and the authentication information;in a case where an input operation of the authentication information isexecuted by a user in a first communication device different from theterminal device after the first e-mail has been sent, receive theauthentication information from the first communication device; in acase where the authentication information is received from the firstcommunication device, specify the target e-mail address associated withthe authentication information in the memory; and in a case where thetarget e-mail address is specified, execute a predetermined process byusing the target e-mail address, the predetermined process being aprocess which is necessary for the server or the first communicationdevice to send a second e-mail including the target e-mail address, as adestination address, and related information related to the firstcommunication device.